The magic behind 22 years of Young Editorial Staff columns in the Kalamazoo Gazette (Our Turn column)

Jill McLane Baker / Gazette Phyllis Rose leads a meeting of the YES Team at the Gazette.

By Phyllis Rose

Young Editorial Staff Coordinator

From the number of emails I've received recently from students
and/or teachers interested in participating in the Young Editorial
Staff, I would say the YES Team continues to grow in popularity. Since
we're starting our 23rd year, it's great to know people are still
interested in being on the team.

Talking with Dave Hager, who coordinates the YES Team with me, we
reflected on how things have changed since the team was founded in 1989.
Back then, the process was very primitive with no Internet and no
email. Students mailed their articles to me in an envelope, sometimes
mistakenly sending them to the other Phyllis Rose who also lived in
Portage at the time.

Then, I had to edit the articles and type them into a word-processing program.

But, I did have to submit the column electronically. I still recall
climbing under my desk to install a modem. To send the column, I had to
type all this coding at the top and then dial a specific phone number at
the Gazette. After watching the column scroll across the screen as it
was transmitted, I would call Dave at the Gazette to make sure it
transmitted properly.

Things worked pretty well most of the time - except for the time when
part of the column ended up in the middle of the obituaries.
Fortunately, the error was caught before publication.

Now, other than our meetings with the students at the Gazette,
everything is done by email. As I edit, I have quick access to the
Internet to check the accuracy of information students present in their
articles.

Over the years, too, state standardized tests and school curricula
have increasingly emphasized the importance of writing. The Young
Editorial Staff fits right in because it gives students a chance to
write in a real-world setting. Students express their opinions in a
public forum and many of the students report they get feedback, not only
from their fellow students and teachers, but also from the public who
write to them in care of their school.

Our student writers are also building a writing portfolio for use in
college or in a job setting. Not long ago, a former YES Team member
emailed me to say he was getting ready to apply for graduate school and
wanted copies of his past articles to include in a portfolio. I directed
him to mlive.com where he could find those past columns.

So, even after students leave the team and go on to college and
careers, their writing experiences on the team are still important.

Next week in this space, you'll be meeting the 24 members of the
2011/12 Young Editorial Staff. Dave and I met them at the first meeting
back in June.

That first meeting is always exciting. There's a lot of high energy,
laughter and bantering as students get acquainted while eating cookies
and drinking pop.

Students get their pictures taken for the column, introduce
themselves to the group, and then get down to the business of selecting
topics. By the end of the two-hour meeting, they have an assigned topic
and all the information on length and due dates - and all of this just
as summer vacation is starting.

As I write this, their first articles are due. In a couple of weeks,
you'll be reading these students' opinions on everything from same-sex
marriage to the college application process to physician-assisted
suicide.

We hope you enjoy their articles as they engage in lively debates about today's issues.

Every year we also like to remind readers how the YES Team works.

How are schools chosen for the team?

In March, we contact schools in the Gazette's circulation area about
their interest in being on the team. Then, we compile a list of schools.
We try to include all those who respond, but since we only have room
for 24 students, we sometimes have to notify some schools that they
won't be on the team. But, most often we can include all the interested
schools.

If your school is interested in being considered for the 2012/13 team, please email me at phyllisarose@aol.com.

How are students chosen for the YES Team?

The English teacher, newspaper advisor or other interested staff
members from the schools select the student(s) to represent their
school. Teachers have their own criteria for selection. YES Team members
need to be good writers and able to meet deadlines.

How do the teachers choose who represents their school?

We asked this question at a recent meeting. Teachers have a variety
of ways. Some pick students who have proven themselves through work on
the school newspaper. Others open it up to whoever is interested. If
they have several students who want to be on the team, they may have a
write-off, selecting the best essay from those submitted.

How are topics chosen and assigned?

At each meeting, students submit ideas and then vote on them. The top
eight topics are then assigned. The students who submitted the topics
chosen always get first choice. But, since only three students can write
on any one topic, we sometimes have to play the "pick a number between 1
and 21" elimination game to select the three writers for that topic.

What is the submission process?

Students usually have about eight weeks to write their 350-word
articles. They submit the first draft to their teachers and then send me
the final draft. I edit the final draft and then e-mail the completed
column to the Gazette.